Lunch guest Duchess of Cambridge is Pippa Middleton's confidante

The Duchess of Cambridge may now live at Kensington Palace but she’s not too grand to make a return visit to her roots – in nearby Chelsea, of course.

Friends say Kate frequently makes the trip to her old flat for lunch with sister Pippa, 28.

‘Kate drives over and parks outside and brings her two security guards with her,’ says a pal. ‘Pippa likes to have her sister over. They had lunch last week just after they got back from skiing in France.’

Duchess Kate has been spending time with sister Pippa at her old flat in Chelsea

No doubt Kate, 30, and her sibling had plenty to talk about. Pippa was accompanied by Earl Percy for the family ski trip to Les Trois Vallees and the pair are said to be enjoying a blossoming romance.

While Prince Charles prepares a televised personal tribute to mark his mother’s Diamond Jubilee, the Duke of Edinburgh will be notable by his silence. Prince Philip, 90, has turned down a number of approaches to deliver a televised tribute to the Queen.

‘The Duke is not planning to make any televised tribute,’ an aide says. ‘Charles is recording a television programme in which he celebrates his mother’s achievements.’

Earl Spencer’s first wife Victoria is keen that her daughters Lady Amelia, 19, left, and Lady Kitty, 21, right, help those less fortunate than themselves.

Former model Victoria, 46, who split from Charles – Princess Diana’s brother – in 1997, has battled drink, drugs and eating disorders, seeking help at the Stepping Stones rehabilitation clinic in Kommetjie near her South African home in Cape Town.

Earl Spencer's first wife Victoria is keen that her daughters Lady Kitty, left, and Lady Amelia, right, help those less fortunate

Now seemingly over her troubles, Victoria visits the centre to help other addicts.

‘Victoria wanted the girls to get involved, particularly Amelia who can be a bit of a handful. The girls really enjoy it,’ says a friend. The visits will no doubt be sobering for Lady Amelia, who was cleared of kicking a man on crutches outside a McDonald’s in Cape Town last year after a drunken night out.